Role of age and health in perceptions of returning to work: a qualitative study

Abstract

Background People aged over 50 years form a growing proportion of the working age population, but are at increased risk of unemployment compared to other age groups. It is often difficult to return to work after unemployment, particularly for those with health issues. In this paper, we explored the perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of returning to work after a period of unemployment (hereafter RTW) barriers among unemployed adults aged over 50 years. Method In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 26 unemployed individuals aged 50–64 years who were engaged with the UK Government’s Work Programme. Data were thematically analysed. Results Age alone was not discussed by participants as a barrier to work; rather their discussions of barriers to work focused on the ways in which age influenced other issues in their lives. For participants reporting chronic health conditions, or disabilities, there was a concern about being unfit to return to their previous employment area, and therefore having to “start again” in a new career, with associated concerns about their health status and managing their treatment burden. Some participants also reported experiencing either direct or indirect ageism (including related to their health status or need to access healthcare) when looking for work. Other issues facing older people included wider socio-political changes, such as the increased pension age, were felt to be unfair in many ways and contradicted existing expectations of social roles (such as acting as a carer for other family members). Conclusion Over-50s experienced multiple and interacting issues, at both the individual and societal level, that created RTW barriers. There is a need for employability interventions that focus on supporting the over-50s who have fallen out of the labour market to take a holistic approach, working across healthcare, employability and the local labour market, providing treatment and skills training for both those out of work and for employers, in order to create an intervention that that helps achieve RTW and its associated health benefit. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-6819-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Using candidacy theory to explore unemployed over‐50s perceptions of suitability of a welfare to work programme: A longitudinal qualitative study

“…The data analysed and presented in this paper were collected as the qualitative component of a larger longitudinal mixed methods study looking at RTW in over-50s, “Supporting Older People into Employment” (SOPIE) ( Brown et al, 2015 , Neary et al, 2019 ). The current paper analyses qualitative longitudinal data gathered over the period 2015–2017.…”

“…This is a particularly vulnerable hidden population as, after 50, it is also more difficult to return to work (RTW) for a range of personal and organisational reasons. These include ongoing health concerns, outdated skill-sets, and experience of ageism in recruitment ( Beatty and Fothergill, 2002 , Neary et al, 2019 ), therefore risking extended periods of unemployment. These extended periods of unemployment leave older people at higher risk of poor physical and mental health ( Whitley and Popham, 2017 ).…”

The Function of Occupational Activity for Health as Perceived by Chronically Ill People

“…Studies show a high level of concern among chronically ill adults aged 50 or older that their condition may dramatically affect their careers, causing them to retire or start from scratch in a new profession. For many of them, the anxiety and uncertainty as to their health are strong stressors affecting their daily lives [20].…”

Well-Being and Employment of Older People in The Countries of the Visegrad Group and the European Union

“…The global aging of populations (Dudel & Myrskylä 2017;Neary, et al 2019;Ćwirlej-Sozańska, et al 2018;Horváthová & Éhn 2020;Jeníček & Foltýn 2003;Vaňo 2020) carries various phenomena for those are sought adequate strategies and solutions in societies. One of the most discussed topics connected with the phenomenon of population aging is the use of employment potential (Gregar & Pejřová 2014;Gregar & Pejřová 2013; (Gregar, et al 2015;Shatalova 1999) or prolonging the active working life of older people in the labor market (Lakomy 2019;Taylor 2019;van der Mark-Reeuwijk, et al 2019;Bartek 2020).…”